John Elstrott
Dr. John Elstrott is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and the Emeritus Executive Director of the Levy-Rosenblum Institute for Entrepreneurship at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business and the Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the Tulane Entrepreneurs Association. He is an active entrepreneur in the venture capital, wetlands mitigation banking, pharmaceutical, financial services, medical and functional food, and authentic herbal remedy industries. Dr. Elstrott is well known for his conscious capitalism courses and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board for Whole Foods Market. Dr. Elstrott is also the Executive Director of the management consulting firm, EMH Strategy and serves as the Investment Committee Chair for the New Orleans Startup Fund. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
John Fraboni
John is making a name for himself in the New Orleans startup scene through his company, Operation Spark, which teaches local kids how to code and gives them the skills needed to enter into the workforce and do great things. Prior to launching the company in 2013, he was a developer at companies such as Behaviour Interactive and Ludia. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
John Grindley
John is the Executive Director of CoHabitat Shreveport, a coworking space that was created for developers, creatives and entrepreneurs. He is also the director of Coaxial Studios, a graphic design company that offers three measurable areas of expertise for strategic business development: strategy/positioning, marketing, and design. On LinkedIn.
Jon Atkinson
Jon worked as the fund executive for South Coast Angel Fund II until October where he led the development of a new member managed, committed capital angel fund. He is now coordinator and Curator in Chief at Lagniappe Angels, a member-managed, early stage, investment group, as well as the director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community at the Loyola University College of Business in New Orleans. On LinkedIn.
Joseph Lovett
Joseph is one of the managing partners of Louisiana Funds, two venture capital funds investing in early-stage health and biotechnology startups. With extensive experience investing in the industry in larger markets, the fund is a critical resource for emerging entrepreneurs seeking both advice and capital. With offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the fund has invested millions in more than a dozen southeast Louisiana companies. On LinkedIn.
Kenneth Purcell
Kenneth is the founder and CEO of iSeatz, a company providing integrated transaction and booking engines to travel providers worldwide. Their customer lists includes Air Canada, Amtrak, CitiBank, Delta Air Lines, KLM, MasterCard and Northwest Airlines. iSeatz continues to grow and prosper with a team of over 50 employees. On LinkedIn.
Kenny Nguyen
Kenny Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Big Fish Presentations, a company whose mantra is “turning presentations into experiences.” Kenny and his team work daily with clients nationwide, from Fortune 100 level to startups, providing high quality presentation design, training, and creative video. He also spoke at a TEDxLSU event in 2013 about the art of saying no. On Twitter. On LinkedIn.
Kerry W. Kirby
Kerry is an entrepreneur and technology innovator. He is the founder and CEO of New Orleans-based 365 Connect, a leading provider of award-winning marketing, leasing, and resident technology platforms for the multifamily housing industry. Kerry has propelled 365 Connect from a scrappy bootstrapped startup to an internationally recognized company, which has won dozens of technology awards. He is known for his generous support of the New Orleans technology community. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Kevin Wilkins
Kevin has been heavily involved in the local startup and entrepreneurial scene ever since moving to New Orleans years ago. He was formerly an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at The Idea Village and is now a mentor there. He launched his company trepwise, an impact consulting firm, in 2013 to help local and national businesses. Kevin is also an adjunct professor at the business school at Tulane University. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
Kris Khalil
Kris is manager of the New Orleans BioFund, which provides capital to businesses in Louisiana with a goal to encourage private and philanthropic investment, diversify the local economy, and extend growth opportunities to businesses. Throughout his professional career, he has had experience working for both multi-national and community-based financial institutions such as IBERIABANK and Capital One. On LinkedIn. On Twitter.
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This 2015 Silicon Bayou 100 is made possible by sponsors 365 Connect, a leading provider of award-winning marketing, leasing and resident technology platforms for the multifamily housing industry, and LookFar, a software development studio. Beer from our beverage sponsor, the startup brewery Cajun Fire, will also be provided.